Event gets OK from the central govt to take new name, role

The ninth China-Northeast Asia Expo will be held in Changchun, Jilin province, from Sept 6 to 11.

The Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, and Jilin province are co-hosting the event.

The expo has become an important channel for dialogue among Northeast Asian countries. It is also a bridge for trade cooperation in China's Northeast as well as a communication platform for people in the area.

Larger scale

Last September, the State Council gave the China Jilin-Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo permission to change its name to the China-Northeast Asia Expo.

The China-Northeast Asia Expo attracts a large number of international visitors annually.

Though it is just a small change to the wording of the title, the move has major implications, the expo's organizers say. It indicates that the expo covers a larger area and has been elevated to the level of a national event.

The name change signals that the expo has become an important strategic platform for opening China to Northeast Asia in terms of communication and cooperation.

"Since its establishment, we have been devoted to building a high-end and practical expo for communication and cooperation among Northeast Asian countries," said Chen Weigen, a member of the provincial Party committee and deputy governor of Jilin.

"After the name change, the expo will play important roles in three aspects," Chen said.

First, the expo will create a dialogue about regional economic cooperation. Northeast Asia's regional economy accounts for one-fifth of the world's total. Its great potential has drawn the attention of the world.

Making the expo into a State-level event oriented toward Northeast Asia shows the central government's active attitude about economic and trade cooperation with other countries in the region.

The sixth High-Level Forum on Northeast Asia Economic and Trade Cooperation. The forum is an annual event held concurrently with the expo.

Second, the expo will accelerate a national strategy to boost the development of Northeast China.

Since 2003, the central government has formulated a series of plans to develop the northeastern region. It released a strategic plan to revitalize traditional industrial bases in Northeast China.

Third, the expo will promote regional cooperation in the years to come.

Over the last eight years, the expo has held several fruitful international forums, at which Chinese leaders and government heads from other Northeast Asian countries have participated.

Currently, the expo is the premier space for leaders in the region to discuss issues concerning enlarging regional cooperation and deepening ties.

During the eighth expo, 140 government officials at the level of vice-minister or higher took part.

At the sixth Northeast Asia Trade and Cooperation Forum in 2012, Wang Qishan, then vice-premier of the State Council, said the expo had become an important platform for practical cooperation.

He said he hopes to strengthen communication and cooperation to achieve real results and better serve the people.

Yim Chhayly, deputy prime minister of Cambodia, said: "The China-Northeast Asia Expo has great potential. I hope we can strengthen and enlarge economic and trade cooperation among countries in Northeast Asia."

Foreign exhibitors and visitors flock to the China-Northeast Asia Expo, which offers a variety of opportunities for them to get to know Jilin as well as China.

Moon Jae-do, a senior official at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the Republic of Korea, said the Northeast Asia region has undergone unprecedented changes during recent years. Several development plans have been put into place recently by various countries in the region, such as China's strategy to develop its northeastern area, Russia's plan to better utilize the Far East to develop its eastern coast.

"Due to these plans, the Northeast Asian economic circle will become a world economic center and a new source of growth momentum," he said.

"The China-Northeast Asia Expo plays a vital role in further deepening cooperative ties among Northeast Asian countries."

Many participants in the expo are Fortune 500 companies, top State-owned enterprises as well as leading privately owned companies.

Some 600 companies took part in the eighth expo, and 2,600 standard booths were on display.

Of that total, 443 came from overseas, accounting for 67 percent, an increase of 26 percentage points from the previous expo.

John Deere, a Fortune 500 company, is a loyal fan of the expo.

Leaders from business and government circles attend the second Global Economic Leaders Summit at the expo last year.

This year will be the fourth year for the US manufacturer of farming equipment to attend.

Its tractors, harvesters and golf playground facilities on display attracted a large audience and received positive feedback at previous events.

Tire manufacturer Kumho has been part of the expo since it was first held in 2005. During that event, Kumho signed an agreement with the Changchun government to build a tire factory in the city.

As an important bridge between China and South Korea, the expo has done much to fuel Kumho's development in China and across the globe.

Statistics show that since the first expo was held, more than 600 companies that are either Fortune 500 or big multinational enterprises have participated in the expo.

New feature

This year's expo is the first to be held under the new name.

Professional buyers from overseas attend the expo. Ding Luyang / China Daily

With the goal of continual improvement, the ninth expo has several highlights.

To cater to the global trend, the ninth expo will have a service trade fair to attract businesses from China and abroad to communicate with each other.

The second International Sourcing Fair is expected to draw more than 200 buyers and traders.

The number of the world's top 500 companies, large multinational companies as well as renowned domestic buyers and traders will double the total last year.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the start of China's strategy to revive the traditional industrial bases of the Northeast.

Thus, the ninth expo will establish a pavilion to commemorate this strategy.

In addition, other pavilions for the modern service industry and emerging industries as well as specialized booths for Hong Kong and Taiwan will be on display during the expo.

The ninth expo will feature a series of conferences and forums to broaden regional communication and cooperation.

They include the seventh Northeast Asia high-level forum, at which official leaders from Northeast Asia countries will give speeches.

xuxiao@chinadaily.com.cn